Tunku Abdul Rahman was chief minister of the Federation of Malaya (1955–1957), the first prime minister of an independent Malaya (1957–1963), and the prime minister of Malaysia (1963–1970).
1903-1990
1911-1979
Short-story writer and novelist Kate Chopin wrote The Awakening, a novel about a young mother who abandons her family, initially condemned but later acclaimed.
1850-1904
Diminutive television star Gary Coleman made "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" a household catch-phrase in the 1980s.
1968-2010
Actor and cultural icon James Dean starred in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He was killed in a tragic car accident at age 24.
1931-1955
1888-1976
James Galway is an internationally renowned flutist who includes both classical and contemporary works in his repertoire.
1939-
Actor Seth Green gained notoriety as Scott Evil in Austin Powers, and also as Oz on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also played Jimmy Bender on Greg the Bunny.
1974-
1940-
The winner of two Oscars, Jack Lemmon was one of Hollywood’s finest actors, known for his roles in films like Some Like it Hot and The Odd Couple.
1925-2001
Dmitri Mendeleyev was a Russian chemist who developed the periodic classification of the elements.
1834-1907
Vince Neil is the lead singer of Mötley Crüe and a reality TV show veteran.
1961-
Actor Nick Nolte made it big in the 1980s with such films as 48 Hours, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and The Prince of Tides.
1941-
1962-
1819-1900
Sebastião Salgado is an award-winning photographer known for his arresting documentation of communities across the world.
1944-
William Tecumseh Sherman was a U.S. Civil War Union Army leader known for "Sherman's March," in which he and his troops laid waste to the South.
1820-1891
1953-
Lana Turner was a film actress and sex symbol who was "discovered" while drinking soda at a diner counter. She made over 50 films and was married seven times.
1921-1995
Jules Verne was a 19th-century French author whose revolutionary science-fiction novels—such as Around the World in Eighty Days and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea—have entranced readers for over a century.
1828-1905
American composer and conductor John Williams has scored more than 75 films, including Jaws, the Star Wars trilogy, E.T. and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
1932-
Cindy Wilson is best known as a vocalist for new wave rock band the B-52s. Her brother was fellow founding member Ricky Wilson.
1957-